THE LIFE AND DEATH OF JIM ELLIOT

After his time at the Wycliffe Camp, where he gained invaluable language and translation skills, Jim Elliot found himself eager to go abroad. Jim spent an additional ten weeks at the University of Oklahoma studying linguistics and how to translate unwritten languages. Heavily influenced by Dr. Wilfred Tidmarsh, a missionary to Ecuador, Jim decided to pursue a trip to Ecuador rather than India.

            Jim began to build a team for his mission. After some logistical complications, Jim assembled a team of Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, Roger Youderian, and Nate Saint.

            Elliot and Fleming were the first to venture to Ecuador in February of 1952. They initially stayed in Quito, but moved into the jungle. The two men stayed at the Shandia mission station while in the jungle, living and interacting with the Quechua Indians. In October of 1953, Jim Elliot married Elisabeth Howard in Quito. The Elliots had their only child, Valarie, in 1955. Throughout this time, the missionaries were preparing for their interactions with the Huorani Indians by preaching and spreading their beliefs to the Quechua Indians.